Milwaukee Admirals
History First taking to the ice in the winter of 1970, the Admirals were then known as the Milwaukee Kings, and were only an amateur hockey club. They lost their first game on January 25th, playing the Madison All-Stars, and losing 17-7. Their first win came five days later when they beat the Milwaukee Winter Club 10-8. The following year, the team's original owner, Reed Fansher, sold them to a group of investors. Of the investors, one was Erwin J. Merar, who owned an appliance store. Merar decided to rename the team the "Admirals" after a brand of household appliances that were sold in his store. Starting with the 1973 - 1974 season, the Admirals joined the newly formed United States Hockey League. Their first season in a league was not very successful. The Admirals came in last in their division, only winning 11 games, losing 35 games, and tying 2 games. Two seasons later, in 1976, the Admirals won the United States Hockey League championship after winning seven straight games in the league's playoffs. During the off-season, former Chicago Blackhawks annoucer, Lloyd Pettit, purchased the team. Beginning the 1977 - 1978 season, the Admirals joined the International Hockey League, since the United States Hockey League had become strictly for amateur clubs. They made only one appearance in the IHL's Turner Cup in 1983, but lost to Toledo after six games. The Admirals were part of the International Hockey League until 2001, when they joined the American Hockey League, after the IHL ended operations. They won their first Calder Cup in 2004, after defeating the WIlkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Prior to Finals, Milwaukee needed seven games to defeat the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in the first round. The Admirals then went on to defeat the Chicago Wolves in six games, advancing to the Conference Finals. They then eliminated the Rochester Americans, four games to one. Milwaukee then swept the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to win the Calder Cup. In June of 2005, the Admirals were purchased again by another group of investors, including Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, assistant general manager Gord Ash, and pitcher Ben Sheets. Afterward, the Brewers became the sole uniform sponsor of the Admirals, and they began wearing a Brewers logo patch on their sweaters. The Admirals went on to win their second division title while being a member of the American Hockey League in 2006. They clinched the title on the last day of their schedule, winning over the Grand Rapids Griffins. After narrowly winning a seven-game playoff series against the Iowa Stars, Milwaukee went to sweep the Houston Aeros and the Grand Rapids Griffins. They then advanced to their second Calder Cup final series, but sadly lost 4-2 against the Hershey Bears. On August 1, 2006, the Admirals unveiled their new logo to the public at the Henry Maier Festival Park. The new logo came with an extreme color change, dropping the red and blue hues, and replacing them with black, white, and ice blue. They also unveiled a new slogan: "New Say Die". NHL Affiliation The Admirals have been the top-level affiliate of the Nashville Predators since the team was founded in 1998. On February 22, 2010, the clubs signed a new agreement that would extend the affiliation through the 2011-2012 season, including a mutual option for the 2012-2013 season. According to Nashville's General Manager David Poile: : "I like to say that for our players, the road to Nashville runs through Milwaukee and a look at our roster illustrates this. This is the kind of environment that we want our prospects to develop in." Logos The Milwaukee Admirals have donned six different logos on their sweaters during the 41 years that they have been a team. Admirals.jpg|Logo from 2006 to the present. Admirals1980s.png|Logo from 1982 to 1997. Admirals1977.jpg|Logo for 1977 to 1981. Including the first "skating sailor". Admirals1973.png|Admirals logo from 1973 to 1977. Admirals1970.png|The Admirals logo during their independent years (1970-1972). Milwaukee.gif|Logo from 2006 to the present. This logo in featured on their alternate jerseys. Admirals1998.png|Logo from 1998 to 2006. Category:American Hockey League Category:NHL Affiliate